Tulsi Gabbard claims she rejected offer to be RFK Jr.’s VP: ‘Didn’t work out’
Ex-Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard claimed she spurned an offer to serve as independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s running mate.
Gabbard, 42, who left the Democrat Party in 2022 not long after her unsuccessful presidential bid, did not elaborate on why she opted against taking the opportunity.
“I met with Kennedy several times, and we have become good friends. He asked if I would be his running mate. After careful consideration, I respectfully declined,” Gabbard said in a statement obtained by The Post.
“Out of respect for him, I will not share the content of our conversations or my reasoning. I have nothing further to add.”
Her name had been tossed around his veepstakes rumor mill for months as a potential contender, alongside former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura, NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers and others.
Ultimately, the Kennedy scion went with a largely unknown individual — Silicon Valley lawyer Nicole Shanahan, 38, who had been a major backer of his presidential bid.
Shanahan is the ex-wife of Google co-founder Sergey Brin, the 10th-richest person on the Bloomberg Billionaire Index. She bankrolled a controversial Super Bowl ad for Kennedy earlier this year.
Like Gabbard, Kennedy, 70, toyed with a long-shot bid for the Democratic nomination to be president. President Biden claimed that mantle in 2020 and is poised to do so again in 2024.
Last October, Kennedy switched his party affiliation to independent, voicing his disillusionment with the Democratic Party, and aired grievances similar to Gabbard’s.
A source close to the Kennedy campaign confirmed to the outlet, “There were definitely meetings, but it didn’t work out.”
“We talked to a bunch of people,” that source continued. “Tulsi’s a rock star no matter what.”
The Post contacted the Kennedy campaign for comment.
She has also been floated as a potential VP for former President Donald Trump and expressed an openness to joining that ticket.
Gabbard has an upcoming book, “For Love of Country: Leave the Democrat Party Behind,” which is set to hit bookshelves later this month.
The former congresswoman from Hawaii blamed the “warmongers” in the Democratic Party for her departure.
Kennedy’s performance in the polls has rattled allies of Trump and Biden alike.
In a three-way matchup, Trump scores 40.7% support, compared to Biden’s 35.3% and Kennedy’s 12.3%, according to the latest RealClearPolitics aggregate of polls.
Kennedy will need to top 15% in select polling to secure a place on the debate stage later this fall. Should he achieve that, it would be a feat not accomplished since the 1990s.
